ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:
INDUCIBLE MOUSE MODELS OF SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY (SMA)
RELEASE DATE: December 2, 2003
NOTICE: NOT-NS-04-004
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov)
RECEIPT DATE: December 23, 2003 (Two-page pre-proposals)
PURPOSE
The NINDS has launched the Collaborative Program to Accelerate
Therapeutics Development for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Science
Applications International Corporation (SAIC) is supporting the NINDS in
the management of this program. SAIC will release a series of Requests
for Proposals (RFPs) to solicit research consistent with the program’s
strategic plan. Through SAIC, NINDS is now accepting proposals for the
first RFP under this program, to develop an inducible mouse model for
SMA. Successful offerors will be supported through subcontracts under
the SAIC prime contract N01-NS-3-2356.
DESCRIPTION
SMA, the most common hereditary cause of infant death, results from the
loss of function of a single gene, SMN1, which leads to the death of
motor neurons. This defined target suggests tractable strategies for
therapeutics development. The Collaborative Program to Accelerate
Therapeutics Development for SMA will implement a plan for rapid SMA
therapeutics development through the strategic support of research
projects.
In this announcement, pre-proposals are requested for the development
and characterization of mouse models of SMA that can be used to
determine (a) the window of requirement for SMN protein in the
development and life of the animal and (b) the window when increasing
SMN function can ameliorate disease progression. In addition, we are
soliciting an inducible mouse model of SMA that will be amenable to
testing candidate therapies for SMA.
Responses to this RFP in the form of two-page pre-proposals will be
sent by e-mail to Jonathan Logan at jonathan.h.logan@saic.com by 5:00
p.m. Eastern due on December 23, 2003. Pre-Proposal Submission Form,
accessible through the SMA Project website as described below.
Offerors whose pre-proposals are deemed by the SMA Project’s Steering
Committee to be most responsive to the RFP solicitation will be invited
to submit full 10-page proposals that will be due on or about February
3, 2004 (deadline to be determined). For a detailed description of the
aims of this RFP(RFP JL-32903-001 for an inducible mouse model of SMA
the Pre-Proposal Submission Form), the procedure for preparing a pre-
proposal can be reached through, and more information about the home
page of program, visit the SMA Project website (at
http://www.smaproject.org by clicking on “Open Solicitations” on the
left-hand side of the screen.
This advertisement does not commit SAIC to award a subcontract.